A West Kootenay musician is holding a concert to raise funds for the regional hospital’s emergency department.
Johnny P Johnson and the JPJ Band will perform on Saturday, April 1, at the Bailey Theatre in Trail, with proceeds going to the Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH) Health Foundation. Johnson has specifically requested that the funds raised go toward the emergency department.
“The emergency centres in our area are very well used and need as much support as they can get, I think,” he says.
Johnson — who lives in Shoreacres — and his family are among those who have relied on the KBRH emergency room.
“I’ve got three boys and with sports and everything else, we’ve used that emergency quite a bit,” he says.
His wife also made three trips to the emergency room in as many years due to a series of unfortunate accidents, and Johnson is aware just how many people go through the KBRH emergency room.
Lisa Pasin, director of development for the KBRH Health Foundation, says that in 2016-2017, the total number of visits made to the KBRH emergency department by people from around the region was 17,400, and the number keeps climbing.
“The foundation is very grateful to have Johnny P. Johnson want to partner with us for his CD launch party,” says Pasin. “Often the emergency department at KBRH is a patient’s first-line resource when they’re in a time of need of crisis, and Johnny realizes that.”
Johnson and his band will be performing songs from his album, Until You Get There, which he’s had out for a bit, but hasn’t officially released yet.
“I’ve been touring it a little bit around the East Kootenay and into Alberta a bit, and I’m kind of working on different tours right now,” explains Johnson.
He’s mostly been playing with a trio, but the April 1 concert will be a chance to perform with a full band, including Johnson’s son, who plays the mandolin and fiddle.
Trail musician Jason Thomas, who often performs with Lisa Nicole, will open the show.
Door open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door or $15 in advance at the Bailey Box Office. Tickets for children 12 and under are $10.